Skinning machines comprising a frame, an elongated cutting blade, and a powered gripping roll for removing skin and membranes from meat, fish and poultry have long been available. In recent times, it has become common to separate the muscles in ham, remove the membranes between the muscles, and then re-unite the ham to create a composite ham without any internal membranes. This process often calls for small pieces of ham muscle to be manually moved into contact with the cutting blade and the gripping roll. The small size of these ham portions invite the likelihood that the fingers of the machine operator might be drawing into contact with the cutting blade.
Some prior skinning machines have provided means to resist the possibility of operator injury, but these devices also sometimes inhibit the skinning function, particularly, when the membranes are involved.
It is, therefore, a principal object of the invention to provide a safety device for meat skinning machines which will substantially impede the contact of the operator's fingers with the cutting blade while at the same time permitting the effective removal of skin or membrane from the meat product.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.